


Shadows

by greendogs56



Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Platonic Relationships
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-11-11
Updated: 2018-07-01
Packaged: 2019-01-31 23:05:27
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 6,537
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12692049
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/greendogs56/pseuds/greendogs56
Summary: When James Barnes gets a note that tells him he's getting a Shadow, he's excited and not that surprised. However, he gets a treat when he figures out his Shadow is from the future, where normally Shadows are from the past. Now, what happens what an Sergeant has to take care of a teenager for long periods at a time? One expects chaos to ensue.





	1. One

A ten-year-old James Barnes sat on his bed in the middle of the night, his blue eyes wide at the bundle quietly sleeping in front of his crossed legs. He gripped the small, white note in his hand as he watched the little girl fidget in her spot, his eyes staring wide in awe.

_Shadow: Madison Elizabeth Baker_

_Born: May 16, 2001_

_Residence: Norman, Oklahoma_

Of course, the young man had heard of Shadows before: people from the past - or the future, in his case- who randomly pop in and out of their hosts' lives. His mom has one, and he's almost positive his little sister has one with the amount of times he's caught her talking to no one - oh, and that fact, too. Only the host can see their shadow.

It was random who you got, boys could get boys, girls could get girls, boys could get girls, and girls could get boys. But for all the stories he's heard, it was a rare occurrence someone got a Shadow from the future, and even then, the Shadows were only a few years ahead, but now...

His Shadow, little Madison, was  _decades_  after him, and he didn't know what to think of it. As he stared at the weird-looking blanket wrapped around the sleeping girl, he couldn't help but wonder everything she'd come to know. James was history to her, and that thought spooked him a bit. 

A shrill cry made the young man jump out of his skin, and he instinctively looked through his dark room for the hallway lights to turn on and his mom to come storming in and scold him how it's the middle of the night, his sister is sleeping, he'd wake the neighborhood with his antics-

-Another cry broke him from his thoughts, and he dropped the thoughts and the note made of material he'd never seen before. James picked up the fussing child with ease and stood, pacing his room with the relief and horror that only he could hear the young girl. He shushed her, rocked her, and held her carefully, just like his mom had shown him years ago when he met his little sister.

Bucky shushed her again, a small smile breaking out on his features. "Hey there, I'm Bucky. I'm gonna be watching out for you for all the times you decide to visit."

Madison's cries quieted, and he couldn't help but pride himself on his baby skills.

"So, you're from the future, eh? What's it like there? Is there flying cars and spaceships? Do you have electronic books?"

She gurgled up at him.

"Yeah, electronic books are a bit of a stretch."

She cooed, reaching up towards the sky. Or his head. Either one. She let out the cutest yawn Bucky had ever heard, and snuggled up into the soft blanket. Bucky grinned, and realized this little girl, like his sister, had him wrapped around her little finger. He sat himself down on his bed, holding Madison and waiting for her to go back quietly to her own time.

By the time she traveled back home, Bucky had rested his head down on his pillow, and Madison had rested quietly and peacefully in her Host's embrace.

* * *

Fifteen-year-old Maddy stood in front of her couch in horror at the sight of Bucky- her Host and brother- plastered on the screen and labeled as an international terrorist. She had seen him through his glory days in World War II (no matter how hard he tried, she wouldn't tell him anything about it), she had seen him be brainwashed by the organization that still terrorized her world in her own time, and she had seen him slowly but surely forget her over time to the point where she had to hide in her visits so he wouldn't mistake her for the enemy.

Those visits always left her in tears.

To the point, Madison had seen James Barnes through absolutely everything. He vowed to protect her, and she did the same to him (except he didn't know that). So when the news and international media tried to tell her that her Host was a terrorist?

Well, like her mom once said, she wasn't convinced. 


	2. Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Maddy is bored, Phillips interrogates Bucky about his shadow, and Madison makes a promise to Bucky.

Bucky sat down across his boss, Colonel Chester Phillips. To the two soldiers standing on the Colonel’s left and right, James Barnes looked as a soldier should be when confronted by their superior: confused, nervous, and a little scared.

 But all of that changed when a bored eleven-year-old Maddy showed up out of the blue.

“Sargeant Barnes, I presume you want to know why you’re here?” Phillips asked, glancing from the paper in his hands to him.

“Uh, yes sir.” he nodded, his eyes staying off of Maddy.

She sighed, collapsing into the chair next to her Host, her khaki skirt fluffing around her. “Y’know, I was in a really exciting explanation on how to play the recorder. How dare you take me away from that educational experience.”

Bucky bit back a smile.

Phillips continued. “It is custom for all soldiers to go through this, and now it’s your turn, so we’ll get straight to the point. Do you have a Shadow, Sargeant?”

Bucky was caught off guard, a noise of confusion escaping the back of his throat. Chester continued. “If you do, I need you to tell me his name, date of birth, and-”

“My Shadow’s a she, sir.” Bucky said, clearing his throat.

Madison played with the bracelets around her wrist, her school jacket wrapped tightly around her body. “Yeah, way to assume my gender, old man.” 

James slowly exhaled and coughed, receiving a glance from the old man himself. 

“My apologies,” he drawled, glancing back down to the paper and scribbling something down. “If you could tell me her name, date of birth, and place of residence, please.”

Bucky sneaked a glance at Maddy herself, who was too busy looking around at their surroundings. “Madison Baker, May 16th, and Norman, Oklahoma.”

“I need the year, too, Sergeant.”

“Uh, 2001.”

Chester Phillips suddenly stopped scribbling down on his piece of paper and looked up at a slightly-flustered James Barnes, who was only flustered because his Shadow was cackling at all of their faces.

Madison wiped non-existent tears from under her eyes and stood, smoothing down her skirt. She walked around the back of the makeshift office, messing with the trinkets and doodads that made the small futurist laugh. “Ah, history. What a hoot.”

“You’re not messing with me, are you son?” 

“No, sir.” Bucky said, his voice steady at the end. He felt Maddy flick the side of his head and sighed, his eyes widening slightly.

Maddy stood above Chester’s scribbling. “Yep, spelled correctly… right dates… hey, what’s a code twenty-three mean?”

She then proceeded to flick Phillip’s hat, drop a pen on the ground, and poked one of Chester’s men on the nose, making a little ‘boop’ sound while doing so.

“Sergeant Barnes, if you could control your Shadow, please.” the Colonel said, picking the pen up from off the ground.

“What do you mean, ‘control your Shadow’?” she scoffed, plopping back down on the chair. “Buck can’t control me, I’m my own person. I’m only sitting down cause he’s about to have a heart attack.”

“You’re free to go, Barnes. Make sure Miss Baker doesn’t mess up our operations.”

“Yes, sir.” Bucky said, saluting. He left the tent with Madison on his heels.

When he was a safe distance away, and no one was looking, he turned to Maddy who smiled innocently, her arms crossed. “You need to calm down.”

She rolled her eyes, hopping onto Bucky’s back as he bent down. The duo walked through the camp, Maddy’s arms wrapped securely around Bucky’s neck, and her legs wrapped around his torso. He kept a hand on her leg to make sure she wouldn’t fall off, but to not raise any suspicions.

The fact that Phillips and his two goons knew about his Shadow’s presence already ticked him off slightly. 

Maddy rested her head on her Host’s shoulder and sighed, watching the army camp pass by. She poked his collarbone and his ear, gaining his attention. “Hey, why don’t you like anyone knowing about me?”

He sighed, taking the same route he always did in order to talk to Maddy freely. “Having a Shadow during a war is dangerous, Mads. If anyone outside my family or friends finds out about you, you could be captured.”

She scoffed, resting her head on his. “Unlikely. Only you can see me, remember? And, I’m not from this time. Besides, if anyone comes for me, I’ll just kick their butts.”

He scoffed back and poked her leg. “Not something to joke about, Mads, this is serious.”

“Fine, then, I’ll just make sure you’re around if it happens.”

Bucky glanced around at his position, and, once he found out that he was alone, he set her down on a crate and bent down to her height in order to get through to her, like his mother did to him multiple times. “I’m not always going to be there to protect you, Maddy. Promise me that at the first sign of trouble, you run as hard and as far as you can till I come around, okay?”

Madison sighed, fidgeting with the hem of her skirt, her school shoes digging into the dirt. “Bucky, this is ridiculous-”

“Madison Elizabeth Baker.”

“Fine, I promise to run at any sign of trouble until my parents, you, or the authorities get there.”

He smiled, giving her a brief hug, and letting her climb back once again. “Thank you.”

* * *

 

Neither of them know at the time that the promise Bucky made her keep that one day would apply to all dangers, including himself.


	3. Three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Madison is incredibly pissed at a slightly confused and frankly scared Bucky Barnes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so... this happened? takes place after the events of the Winter Soldier.

Mrs. Baker walked a fuming Madison out of her middle school, a very puzzled look on her face. Madison’s mom was called by her daughter’s principal to come to school and pick up said daughter after a very confusing incident on the playground.

To the outsider, Madison was talking to her friends normally, when the girl’s arch nemesis Summer butted in and taunted the girl, saying that she was weird for talking to herself sometimes, that she was weird, that Madison should stop being a weirdo.

Her daughter confessed that she wanted to walk away, but it was when Summer personally offended the ‘Bucky’ she often talked to that she turned around and did what she thought any normal person would do.

Maddy pulled her arm back and punched Summer right in the jaw.

In the spiral of events, it led for Summer to be taken to the E.R. (apparently, Madison had a mean swing), Maddy was taken to the principal’s office, and was taken home.

The car ride was quiet and tense, as Mrs. Baker mulled over the fact that her baby girl could do something so violent at a young age, and Madison tried to make her knuckles feel better.

Once Mrs. Baker had sat her newly turned thirteen-year-old down on the couch, she leaned forwards on her knees and looked at Madison in the eye. “Why did you punch that girl, baby?”

Madison had a little decency to look ashamed. “It doesn’t matter.”

“It does to her parents.” she paused. “Who’s Bucky, Maddy?”

“Doesn’t matter.” she grumbled, looking out the window.

Mrs. Baker paused and sighed. She was confused why her child had been in a constant state of distress, anger, and slight annoyance ever since she saw what happened in D.C. months ago.

“Sweetie, why don’t you go to your room? I need to call your father.”

She frowned at little at her mom’s tone, but went to her room nonetheless. When she stepped into her room, her eyes immediately narrowed. Bucky Barnes stood rigid in the middle of her blue room.

She shut the door sharply, making the older man wince slightly. Taking long strides, Madison stood in front of the older man, her neck craned upward at the man.

James looked down reluctantly. When he saw her blazing eyes, he quickly looked away. For the past few days, the man had been having a constant headache, witnessing as Madison Baker, his Shadow, grow up to be the tender age of thirteen, the very age she was before him.

And she looked pissed.

She jabbed his finger into his chest, seething. “What the hell?”

He sighed and opened his mouth, but was quickly cut off by the girl.

“No! You don’t get to speak! I haven’t seen you in weeks, maybe a few months, and you appear on the news which says you’re a national criminal? What the hell? Don’t even get me started on the whole thing that happened in D.C. Don’t get me started on all the files with you and HYDRA-”

Maddy never noticed her tears until Bucky pulled her into a hug, soothing her as she sobbed into his chest. The man holding her was fighting a mental battle, his heart clenching at the pain he unintentionally caused her. It didn’t help that he was suddenly remembering all the times she  _ was _ with him at HYDRA.

She started sniffing, her voice shaking as she spoke. “Y’know, people know you have a Shadow.”

Smiling slightly when he stiffened, Maddy tugged on his sleeve gently. “Calm down, no one know it’s me. It’s just, there’s so many people out there saying how bad they feel for me for having you as my Host.”

His eyes widened in slight fear, his embrace tightening ever so gently. “And what do you think?”

“You need serious counseling.”

He chuckled, his smile growing slightly. “That’s why I have you.”

She punched his arm weakly, pulling out of his embrace. She wiped her eyes, a gently smile on her face. 

Bucky crouched down, looking up at his Shadow and putting his hands on her shoulder. “Madison, I want you to promise me something.”

“Another one?” she joked, poking his arms. “Go ahead.”

“Don’t look me up online, and don’t look at the HYDRA files.”

She frowned. “Bucky-”

“No, let me talk.” he said, looking her dead in the eye. “I don’t want you knowing what I did.”

Madison poked his arm again, looking a bit guilty. “I had a glance, and some files said you were hypnotized? Brainwashed? Anyway, that doesn’t mean it was you that-”

“Promise me you won’t look any more, okay? Promise?” he held out his pinky finger on instinct, to which she smiled. Wrapping her finger around his, the man stood up and hugged his Shadow tight before he had to leave.

“Now, what’s this whole thing about you punching a girl?”

Madison groaned.

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hope you enjoyed!


	4. Four

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Madison realizes panic attacks suck, and Bucky is still confused, but getting better.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> panic attacks are the worst, take it from me. here's a trigger warning for anxiety, and a small note that everything's gonna be a-okay.

When the Soldier stepped back into his cell after a full day of training, the last thing he expected to see was a trembling child in the corner of the concrete room, head down and knees pulled into her chest. 

The Winter Soldier stood still, listening to the retreating footsteps of his superior officers walk away, the sound oddly giving him relief. Was he happy that no one was there to see the child?

He cocked his head, listening to the quick and trembling breaths. The Soldier’s natural response would be to notify HYDRA immediately, maybe even force the girl out, but something held him back. There was a small voice in the back of his head, which only grew more confident as seconds flew by:

**_Don’t you dare._ **

Seconds turned into minutes, and the child still sat there, all alone and… scared. The Winter Soldier didn’t like the feeling the sight was giving him. There was a growing part of him that wanted to hug, comfort, and soothe the child, something that usually never would’ve crossed his mind.

The young girl finally looked up, her red and puffy eyes zoning in on the Soldier. They widened, and she pressed herself further into the corner, causing the Soldier to wince at an uncomfortable pang in his heart. Something wasn’t right.

“Are- are you Bucky or the Soldier?” ten-year-old Madison hated the fact she had to ask, pushing back the tightness in her chest. After spotting the silver arm on her Host, her mind involuntarily went into panic mode, especially after what she just saw only moments ago.

Following his instincts, although reluctantly, he crouched to be somewhere around the girl’s height. At the mention of the weird but familiar name, the Soldier rubbed his forehead and sat  down across from the child, slowly putting his head in his hands. 

Maddy squeaked, drawing her legs into her chest. “I’m sorry! You told me to ask if I ever saw you with a metal arm, and after what just happened-”

“What-” the Soldier asked, his voice rough, ”what just happened?”

“I-uh... “ she swallowed, watching as he slowly looked up. “...nothing.”

“Ma- Madison.” the Soldier - no, Bucky - said, a tense feeling growing in his chest. “What just happened?”

The girl started crying again, and Bucky didn’t hesitate to close the distance and pull the panicking girl into a tight hug, rocking her back and forth. Finally, she spoke. “You-you were in  the chair again, and you were fighting against them, and-and you yelled at me to look away- and the doctors got really confused, and then they started the machine thing and-”

Bucky returned, pulling his Shadow onto his lap and cradling her head as she buried it into his neck, her sobs only growing more violent. He didn’t recognize the feeling of anger and protectiveness growing in his chest, but he didn’t like who he realized he wanted to protect her from.

Wrapping his arms around the child, James cradled the back of Maddy’s head with his right arm and wrapped the other around her back, like he was trying to hold her away from the cruel world he had now wrapped her in.

When her sobs quieted, James had had a few moments to think things through. “If the next time you see me is with a metal arm, don’t come near me.”

Maddison tensed and snuggled up close to her best friend. “I understand.”

God, how he hated those words.  _ I understand. _ He didn’t want her to, he wanted her to have a normal childhood with a Shadow that wouldn’t cause her stress, anxiety… fear. 

Bucky needed to protect Maddy from himself, but he didn’t know if he could.

Host and Shadow stayed in the corner of the cold, concrete room, the haunted man cradling the exhausted child, both wondering how they were going to get through these tough times together.

Later, when Maddy was long gone, Bucky was pulled back into the room, the scientists and doctors prepping another mind wipe. After all, he was out of cryo for too long. But it was when he saw Madison that he suddenly found the courage to fight back. She wasn’t seeing this, not over his dead body.

The soldiers and doctors found a way to restrain him and force him into a chair, Bucky yelled for Madison to look away, the doctors, confused, started the machine-

And as the soldier returned with screams, no one noticed a child in the middle of the room, hands over her ears and tears on her face, screaming for the doctors to stop hurting Bucky and for him to fight back.

Little did she know, he did.

But not hard enough.   


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hope you enjoyed!


	5. Five

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Little Maddy doesn't like thunderstorms, and Bucky wonders why she's sleeping on the floor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> wow, for once no one is crying in this and no angst. must be a miracle. really just fluff.

Maddy always hated thunderstorms, even at the age of seven. 

She loved the pitter-patter of rain hitting the ground and the smell it brought, but the minute the skies carried the bright lights and loud noises, her mind went into overdrive and only the covers of her bed could save her.

And it just wasn’t her day when she went from trembling under her covers from the thunderstorm in her own room to trembling under the covers from the thunderstorm in Bucky’s room. 

Once she realized where she was, she quickly and quietly maneuvered out of the bed that James was in so he could sleep peacefully. Maddy didn’t like it, but the last time she visited Buck was when he was sleeping at the bad place on that really uncomfortable looking cot, so if her discomfort meant that Bucky was comfortable, then so be it. 

Grabbing a blanket and an estranged pillow, Maddy made herself as comfortable as she could on the floor, ignoring the coldness that came with the wooden floor. She squeezed her eyes shut at the sound of thunder clapping, hoping she could just wish the storm away.

Turns out, Bucky had a hard time sleeping that night, too. He remembered looking at the hundreds of kids his age stepping up and enlisting, and the young man found himself imagining doing the same. But what would happen to the people he left behind?

Thoughts running rampant, James had his back turned to the rest of the room as he mulled over the chances in the late night or early morning, he couldn’t tell anymore.

His thoughts were soon interrupted as the bed dipped and a warmth that wasn’t there before. The covers rustled and a small squeak followed a large clap of thunder, making the young man smile. Just as he was about to roll over and greet Maddy, he felt her leave.

Opening his eyes just barely, he saw Madison grab a pillow and blanket and settle in on the floor, holding herself and squeezing her eyes shut. Frowning, Bucky left the bed and kneeled next to his Shadow, placing a hand on her shoulder. “Mads?”

He waited for her to realize he knew she was awake. When she did, she opened her eyes with a sheepish smile across her features. “Hi.”

“Hi.” he smiled. He sat across from her and nodded to the nest she made. “Why are you sleeping on the floor?”

“Because… it’s comfortable.” she nodded as if she was trying to convince herself. Thunder rumbled outside, making the young girl shift uneasily.

“Really?” once she nodded, he pretended to think something over before scooching over and laying down next to her.

“What are you doing?” Madison asked, her brows furrowed.

“Sleeping on the floor. I’ve heard it’s comfortable.”

Maddy whined. “But you can’t!”

“Why not?” he whined back, making the seven-year-old pout. He pouted back before the realization of the situation came to him. “Maddy, why did you get out of bed to sleep on the floor?”

Madison mumbled something he didn’t quite catch. “What?”

She sighed, averting her eyes from him. “I didn’t want to bother you.”

James frowned again, getting off the floor and sitting next to her head. He glanced out his bedroom window, hearing the soft pattern of the rain outside. Suddenly, a violent light broke into the room, followed by a raging thunderclap, and Bucky found himself holding a shaking Maddy.

He chuckled and stood, returning the practical death grip Madison had on him. He stood and walked over to the bed, letting the girl settle down under the covers with him. 

She cuddled into his side and smiled when Bucky threw an arm around her shoulders. “Can you make the thunderstorms go away?”

He smiled at her innocence, ruffling her hair and closing his eyes. “I can try, kiddo.”

Bucky and Madison fell asleep in the new day, both kids finding some comfort against the raging storms both outside and inside.


	6. Six

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Madison Baker saw Bucky Barnes fall off that dreaded train twice in her life, and she watched helplessly as he fell both times.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just saw Infinity War (I will not provide spoilers), and I think I might need therapy.

Madison Baker saw Bucky Barnes fall off that dreaded train twice in her life, and she watched helplessly as he fell both times.

There was nothing she could do about it.

The first time was at the tender age of nine. Of course, her nine-year-old-self was ecstatic that she got to witness her personal hero go out and save the world, defeating the baddies with infamously popular Captain America. Maddy remembered appearing as soon as Bucky planted his feet inside the train.Steve, bless his heart, looked at Bucky with such understanding eyes when he was told to go on ahead. Steve knew about her for about as long as Bucky did.

At first, it was chaotic as usual. That’s just how wars worked.The girl tried her best to not distract James in any way, shape, or form. She tried her best, she really did.

In the girl’s mind, she was the reason Bucky fell off the train.

Once the duo was locked in the room with the big bad guy with the scary armor and the massive gun, all logic flew out the window, causing Maddy to curl in on herself and start crying like she was actually there.

She remembered Bucky tensing up and fighting back harder like a switch flipped in his mind. He picked up Steve’s estranged shield and started shooting back at the bad man.

However, instead of an ear-shattering experience Maddy later wished she experienced, a deafening silence filled the nine-year-old’s mind as she watched Bucky fall, fall, fall all the way down to the snowy floor. She sank to her knees, watching Steve clamber back into the train. He mumbled something, but her eyes were trained on the metal floor, a small whisper echoing through the heavy air. She blinked-

-And she was back in her room, her eyes hollow and heart heavy. The clock beside her read 1:32 am, and the girl realized she wasn’t getting any sleep on that fateful Saturday night. Crying herself to sleep, Maddy gripped her sheets with a death grip and curled in on herself, the realization finally set in seventy years after it happened.

It wasn’t until years later that a thirteen-year-old Madison finally understood what the echo in the carriage was. It was a broken-hearted Steve, a man who had officially lost close to everything, trying to comfort a girl he couldn’t even see.

_“Madison, I’m sorry.”_

* * *

 

The second time was just as bad to the fourteen-year-old. This time, however, she was stuck on the snowy floor of the mountain landscape, watching as Bucky fell towards her instead of away from her.

Memories she spent so hard on burying from five years prior surfaced as she stood numb- either from the cold or from what she knew to come, she didn’t know- and watched as Bucky’s body hit the ground with a cold, hard thud. She staggered trying to reach him, although they were merely a few feet apart. Madison fell to her knees next to her Host, her hands hovering over the area where his arm should’ve been.

“C’mon, Buck,” she muttered, shaking his right arm, unshed tears glistening in her eyes. “You’re still here! Wake up!”

Maddy gripped his wrist, shivering from the adrenaline when she found a small pulse. Her head fell to his chest, dry sobs wracking through her body. She looked up suddenly when she heard footsteps shuffling through the snow.

_HYDRA._

She gripped his jacket as the footsteps drew near. “The years ahead are gonna be hard, Jamie. But you’re strong, and you have at least one person out there rooting for you. I know you can hear me, and you’ll remember me. You think I haven’t seen you watching when I get out of school? You’ll be alright, I promise. I’m sorry, I’m so sorry…”

She left his side the moment a HYDRA agent reached them.

Back safely at her home, the teenager wiped a stray tear from her eyes. She felt the hot summer air in the room as she sat down on her couch, contrasting the frostbitten cold she previously felt.

Looking up, she saw a press conference with the Avengers discussing the Battle of Sokovia that had taken place a few days prior. Her eyesight drifted to one Steve Rogers, his confident and leader aura reaching past the screen.

Her attention drifted to her phone that rested on the coffee table, an idea forming in her head.

Madison Baker saw Bucky Barnes fall off that dreaded train twice in her life, and she watched helplessly as he fell both times.

And maybe there was something she could do about it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hope you enjoyed!


	7. Seven

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Maddy meets a friend of a friend and gets more than what she came for.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the wait. I took a mini break so I could focus on studies and such. Enjoy this (slightly) longer chapter!

Maddy tapped at her mug as she sat in a small coffee shop, watching the steam rise from the hot chocolate. Looking out the window, the fourteen-year-old scanned the pedestrians that walked past her and made up a wide range of stories for her fellow civilians.

_He looks a little nervous, maybe he’s missing or late to something?_

_She looks confident, maybe it’s her clothes? They look new. I hope she’s doing well._

_They look cute, very handy, though. Oh, God, I don’t want to know._

Madison sighed and picked up her phone, a small, uncomfortable feeling of disappointment rising against her will. Debating on whether or not to just leave, the young girl was interrupted by the placement of a letter in the center of her vision.

Looking up, a small grin formed on her face at the sight of a flushed yet smiling Steve Rogers. “Sorry I’m late. It took a little while convincing my team that your message was actually you.”

Maddy furrowed her eyebrows and wrinkled her nose. “Did I get the secret code thingy right?”

Steve shrugged, sitting down carefully across from her and surveying the quiet cafe. “It was a little off, but I’m surprised you remembered that.”

The teenager snorted, tapping her mug once again. “I watched you two come up with that code three weeks ago. The Shadow system has no respect for a linear timeline.”

The man smiled softly, folding his hands on the wooden table. “What made you decide to reach out? I tried to find you earlier, but Bucky was always hellbent on making sure no one knew about you.”

Maddy shrugged, taking a sip of her hot chocolate. “I, uh, saw him yesterday. Him and the train.”

Steve suddenly tensed, his eyes glossing over slightly. “Maddy, I’m sorry-”

“It was weird though,” she said, pretending to not hear him. “I was there twice: first on the train and then on the ground.”

Steve looked away and stared sharply at his hands like they were the reason Bucky became the Winter Soldier. “That’s…”

“Cruel? Unusual? Unnecessary? Yeah.” Maddy commented. She kicked his shin lightly and smiled when he looked up. “Oh! And it’s okay.”

“What’s okay?”

“You apologized, right?” she asked, raising her brows. “I mean, my nine-year-old mind could be deceiving me, but I’m pretty sure-”

“-No, I did,” Steve nodded, glancing out the window. “I didn’t expect you to hear that.”

“I-I didn’t, at first,” Maddy admitted, drawing his attention. “It registered a few years later.”

“Years?”

She shrugged. “According to the internet, if you experience trauma at a young age, the mind can block it to stabilize itself, or something. Then again, the internet is a very strange place and talks about how to get away with murder, so.”

Ignoring his concerned and alarmed looks, she dug out a flash drive from her pocket and placed it in front of him. Maddy chuckled at his confusement and smiled. “So, when Bucky was around at HYDRA, he would tell me what city he was in so I wouldn’t be too scared. Also, I think there were a few times when I was a kid when he told me he was on the run? He made me promise to be super quiet one time.”

“So, this flash drive?” Steve asked, examining the small and outdated device.

“It has the cities of the HYDRA bases I can remember and the places Bucky could be hiding. The HYDRA bases have more stuff on it, unfortunately, but I think Bucky knows what he’s doing.”

Steve’s demeanor relaxed, a sigh of relief emitting from the older man. He smiled in thanks and pushed the envelope he brought towards her. “Since we’re exchanging gifts…”

Maddy tilted her head and grabbed the envelope, noting the scratchiness of the material. The thing had to be decades old, if not a century. “What is it?”

“Letters,” Steve said simply. “Well, that and other things. It’s never been opened, but it’s pretty heavy.”

Maddy pocketed the object and grinned. “It’s because of you two that I have an unhealthy amount of knowledge about the early 1900s. I am a nerd because of you guys.”

Steve laughed, shaking his head. “Really, now? Well, you made Bucky look like an idiot sometimes.”

She waved him off, fishing her wallet from her jacket. “I’m sure he needed something to keep him humble.”

Before she could place her payment on the table, a crisp twenty was set down. Maddy’s eyes widened, and she shoved the money back to Steve. “No.”

“Yes,” he said, gently taking her hand off the money. “I insist. Call it old habits.”

“‘Call it old habits,’” she mocked under her breath, standing up and brushing herself off.

The super soldier laughed, standing up with her. They walked out of the cafe together and stood in the front. Steve glanced around the street, finding it comfortably absent. “Do I need to walk you home?”

Maddy smiled and shook her head. “Nah, I live just down the street. Should I walk you home? How do I know if you’re going to get ambushed by a bunch of crazed fans?”

Steve grinned and pulled out his phone. “Don’t worry about it, I can take care of myself. You, on the other hand…”

After exchanging numbers, the two set off on their separate ways. Not before Steve gave the teenager one of his classic bear hugs, of course.

* * *

After locking herself in her room, Madison slowly took out the small package with careful hands. Feeling a sharp sting behind her eyes, the girl cleared her throat and sat down on her bed. She tried to get her hands to stop shaking at the sight of her name etched onto the yellowed paper. Tearing into the letter carefully, the teenager set to work.

She pulled out a thick stack of letters, about twenty coming out of the time capsule. Maddy smiled at a few pictures that came out of the envelope, along with a bracelet and a wooden nickel that dated back to the late 1800s.

Setting the capsule down, a small clink made her curiosity peak. Maddy rolled her eyes. _If that boy honestly gave me money out of all things-_

-It wasn’t money.

Madison’s hand flew to cover her mouth and tears instantly started pouring down her face at the sight of Bucky’s old dog tags coming safely out of the package. Through the amazement and sadness and many other feelings, a spark of confusement turned into a flame.

She never knew what happened to his dog tags. She always assumed that HYDRA still had them or that they were lost in the mountains. That meant either the dog tags in her hands were a carbon copy, or the dog tags were really found and entrusted to her.

Maddy felt a lot of things, but guilt was the heaviest of them all. James had a family, a mother, siblings, friends…

She didn’t deserve to wear those.

Nevertheless, with a heavy heart and hands, the young girl placed the necklace around her neck, a small feeling of hope and comfort enveloping her. 

Hours later, Maddy fell asleep, surrounded by letters and memorabilia from the past that came from her own Host.  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so i googled what happened to buck's dog tags from the war and got nothing. so, let's just pretend people or SHIELD found his dog tags when they went to search for him okay thank you


	8. Eight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bucky is confused when he suddenly appears in a giant gathering with rainbow flags flying around him, and Maddy has a secret to tell.

"Where are we?"

Fourteen-year-old Maddy Baker, with a bright smile and a bounce in her step, turned slightly to the confused― and nervous, not to mention― voice behind her.

Pretending to spin, Madison got a glimpse of her Shadow without his metal arm. Grinning, she nodded her head to him and waved her pink, purple, and blue flag in her hands. Grabbing his hand in hers, the teenager dragged her best friend next to her, shoving a hand in her pocket and causing Barnes to loop his arm through hers.

"We're at Pride," she muttered through her smile, looking at her surroundings gladly. "Just hang tight― I'll tell you about it when we get home."

Maddy watched him nod and look around with both wonder and awe, a small grin forming on his face.

Arm in arm, the duo walked with the other strangers carrying the same flag. Proud grins and energetic people danced around in waves, carrying the same hopeful and accepting vibe that Madison herself carried.

Bucky, a soldier in the middle of the second World War, a time filled with glum looks and misplaced smiles, with an unclear future and scared citizens, felt a weight lift off his chest and he glanced around at the sunny venue and clear blue sky.

Just under an hour later, Maddy stepped back into her apartment, hiding her flag within her jacket and taking long strides straight into her room. When Bucky had entered the room safely, the teenager closed the door gently and gave a sheepish smile to her best friend, placing the bisexual flag in her closet.

Maddy put her sunglasses on her dresser and shrugged off her jacket, throwing it onto a chair. As she took off her shoes, she glanced at Bucky standing in the middle of her room. "It started in the late 60's― 1969, I think. A bunch of members from the LGBT community rioted in New York and thus created Pride."

Bucky nodded, sitting down on Maddy's bed while she removed the items from her pockets. "Kudos to you for being there and showing support. Man, I wish I could be there to―"

"―I'm not there for only support," the teenager cut him off, trying to comb through the purple hairspray coating her head. "Well, I was, but... I was there for more than that."

Taking a deep breath, the fourteen-year-old turned around and looked at her Shadow straight in the eye. He turned his head slightly in confusion. "Then why―"

"―I'm bisexual!" she blurted out, wincing at her volume. Waiting a few seconds, she heaved a sigh of relief when her parents didn't show up at her door. "Uh, I'm bisexual."

The Sargeant blinked a few times in shock. Maddy grew suddenly interested in her hands and cleared her throat. "I―uh―it means that I'm―"

"―No, I know what it means, Mads. I'm not that old," he chuckled. "Can you look at me, please?"

Once Madison slowly met his gaze, he gave her a warm smile. "Thank you for telling me."

"You're― you're okay with this?" Maddy spluttered, giving Bucky her full attention. "Like― you don't hate me or anything?"

"Mads, I don't know if I'd be able to handle myself if I wasn't okay with this. Besides, who am I to change you, or tell you to live your life in any other way? I don't care if you like girls, boys, both, or neither. You're still Madison Elizabeth Baker, my Shadow. Nothing's changed about my image of you; I just know a bit more about you than I did yesterday."

Bucky grinned when he saw Maddy start crying, beckoning her with his arms. Once Madison settled comfortably in his arms, he stroked her hair and shushed her. "You're like my little sister, Mads. Nothing's gonna change that."

"Love you."

"I love you, too, kiddo."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> happy belated pride, everyone. i love all you losers with every fiber of my being, and i'm always here if you want to talk. this chapter is inspired by dodie clark's new song "rainbow".

**Author's Note:**

> hope you enjoyed!


End file.
